There are a multitude of prior art emergency lighting systems. Such systems typically include a battery-backed lighting device that comes on automatically when a building experiences a power outage. Such emergency lights are standard in new commercial and high occupancy residential buildings, such as college dormitories and most building codes require that they be installed in older buildings as well. By the nature of such devices, emergency lights are designed to come on when the power goes out. The Applicants have found no such prior art emergency lighting systems that are designed to provide a lighting feature when the power is on and to continue to provide emergency lighting when the power is out.
Similarly, there are many prior art flash light devices that are configured to be electrically associated with and charged by the power system of a building such as a house. However, such prior art flashlights are not also configured to be electrically associated with a lighting fixture (such as the ones typically found in a home) to provide a normal lighting function when the fixture is supplying power to such prior art flashlights and to provide an emergency lighting function when the fixture is not supplying power to such prior art flashlights. Nor can such prior art lighting devices be associated with electronic modules and systems such as cell phones and alarm systems respectively.
The inventions disclosed in this document address such shortcomings by teaching a smart light bulb device that may be mechanically and electrically associated with and be powered by a typical lighting fixture found in a building or home, has low power consumption, can be remotely controlled, and provides a typical lighting function when the lighting fixture is providing power to the device. Additional configurations further provide an emergency lighting feature when the power is out (i.e. the lighting fixture is not supplying power) and the device may further be removed from the lighting fixture and used as a typical flashlight. The device may further be electrically and remotely associated with devices such as cell phones and systems such as alarm systems to provide emergency services.
Other embodiment relate to smart lights configurable to perform a variety of tasks including lighting a path, lighting a room, providing emergency lighting, lighting associated with an alarm system, and for carrying around to perform the function of a traditional flashlight.